As fast as our cities are growing, so, too, is our desire to escape them. Four-wheel-drive wagons were the driving force behind last year's record new-car sales.

4WD's soft option the new way out of here

As fast as our cities are growing, so, too, is our desire to escape them. Four-wheel-drive wagons were the driving force behind last year's record new-car sales.

Four-wheel-drive sales almost tripled in the past seven years as sales of passenger cars remained relatively stable, figures from the Federal Chamber of the Automotive Industries show.

"The promise of the ability to get away is more important than actually getting there," said an automotive industry analyst, Peter Evans. "Off-roaders say to the world: `I can escape this mess if I want to'."

The fastest growth in sales has come from the smaller, fuel-efficient 4WDs. While sales of big 4WDs such as the Toyota LandCruiser and Nissan Patrol grew by 10 per cent, the biggest boom came from "soft-roaders", as marketers refer to them. Australians bought 40 per cent more of these smaller models last year: 54,284 compared to 38,683 in 2001.

Toyota markets the LandCruiser as "the king off the road", but the Honda CR-V is the biggest-selling 4WD, ahead of another that is light on its feet, the Toyota RAV4.

Young families and "user-choosers" employees who can have any company car they desire, provided it fits within the budget of the fleet sedan they are entitled to are the reason behind this boom.

"Company car drivers have embraced soft-roaders because it tells the world they're not part of the pack, and family-car buyers prefer the friendlier packaging," said Mr Evans.

"Mum and dad don't have to bend down to load and unload the littlies. Once on the move, drivers like the tall seating position because they have a clearer view of the road ahead. Dad also reckons he looks more macho turning up to a hardware store in a 4WD than he would in a station wagon."

Fuel-efficient soft-roaders were about as thirsty as a fleet sedan, so it did not hurt the shopping bill or, for user-choosers, alert the accounts department, he said.

The other attraction is the relative affordability of 4WDs by virtue of their lower import tariff. Four-wheel-drives attract a 5 per cent tariff compared with 15 per cent on regular cars because of a policy introduced in 1975 to help farmers.

Some brands -- notably Subaru and Volvo -- have increased the ride height of 4WDs destined for Australia to qualify for the lower tariff.

Most 4WDs are used as passenger vehicles these days but the tariff has not been increased because the rate on regular cars is due to come down to 10 per cent in 2005. And making such a popular vehicle more expensive is unlikely to please voters.

Holden and Ford, who sell the most sedans in Australia, are developing off-road wagons, and Australia's biggest seller of 4WDs, Toyota, predicts a 10 per cent rise in sales this year. But some car makers believe the boom is reaching its peak.

More than a dozen 4WDs will be released this year, including the world's fastest the Porsche Cayenne, capable of 266 kmh.